Law: Program Overview, Universities, Careers & Salaries
Program Overview
Law is a rigorous academic discipline designed to equip students with the foundational knowledge and analytical skills necessary for professional legal practice, bar certification, and scholarly inquiry in legal theory. This program emphasizes a comprehensive understanding of legal systems, their structures, and their application across civil and criminal domains.
- Constitutional Law: Explores the principles and interpretations of constitutional frameworks, including individual rights, federalism, and the separation of powers.
- Civil Procedure: Focuses on the rules and processes governing how civil lawsuits are initiated, managed, and resolved within the judicial system.
- Criminal Law: Examines the definition, elements, and enforcement of criminal offenses, along with the legal standards for prosecution and defense.
- Contracts: Investigates the formation, interpretation, performance, and enforcement of legally binding agreements between parties.
- Property Law: Studies the rights and interests in real and personal property, including ownership, transfer, and use under statutory and common law.
- Legal Research and Writing: Develops advanced skills in locating, analyzing, and presenting legal information in precise, persuasive, and structured formats.
- Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility: Addresses the moral and professional standards governing the conduct of legal practitioners and the integrity of the legal profession.
- Administrative Law: Analyzes the rules, procedures, and decisions made by government agencies and their impact on individual rights and public policy.
- Statutory Interpretation: Teaches methods for understanding and applying legislative texts, including legislative intent, textual analysis, and legal precedent.
Law Graduate Trends (2010-2024)
Law Career Pathways & Salary Outlook
The following table presents salary data for occupations typically aligned with Law degrees, including Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates, Lawyers and Law Teachers, Postsecondary. These career paths represent common employment outcomes but are not guaranteed for all graduates. Salary ranges vary by location, employer, experience level, and specific role requirements. Nationally, these occupations employ approximately 833,440 professionals.
National Average Salaries
| Occupation | Median Salary | Salary Range | Total Employment | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates 23-1023 | $156,210 | $46,520 - $216,540 | 25,580 | $75.10 |
| Lawyers 23-1011 | $151,160 | $72,780 - $239,200 | 747,750 | $72.67 |
| Law Teachers, Postsecondary 25-1112 | $126,650 | $58,330 - $239,200 | 22,800 | N/A |
| Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers 23-1021 | $115,230 | $56,970 - $203,990 | 16,230 | $55.40 |
| Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators 23-1022 | $67,710 | $46,200 - $133,480 | 7,860 | $32.55 |
| Judicial Law Clerks 23-1012 | $60,400 | $42,000 - $113,150 | 13,220 | $29.04 |
Law Salary Map by State
Geographic location significantly impacts earning potential for these careers. Average salaries range from $65,522 in Mississippi to $172,338 in Massachusetts—a 163% difference. The highest-paying states include Massachusetts, District of Columbia, and Alaska. Nationwide, these occupations employ over 833,440 professionals across all states. Explore the interactive map below to compare regional compensation and identify optimal markets for your career goals.
Average Salary Range:
Top Universities for Law by Graduate Enrollment
Below are the top 100 institutions offering Law programs for the 2023-2024 academic year (the most recent data reported as of 2025), ranked by the number of graduates. The highest graduate enrollment in Law is found at Georgetown University (GU) (672 graduates), Harvard University (622 graduates), George Washington University (GW) (551 graduates), Columbia University in the City of New York (523 graduates), and New York University (NYU) (523 graduates). Combined, these colleges produced 27,160 graduates across all degree levels. Program availability varies by award level, including Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees at participating universities and schools.
| College Name | Award Levels | Graduates | Location | Control | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown University (GU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
672 | Washington, District of Columbia | Private | georgetown.edu |
| Harvard University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
622 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Private | harvard.edu |
| George Washington University (GW) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
551 | Washington, District of Columbia | Private | gwu.edu |
| Columbia University in the City of New York |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
523 | New York, New York | Private | columbia.edu |
| New York University (NYU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
523 | New York, New York | Private | nyu.edu |
| Fordham University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
455 | Bronx, New York | Private | fordham.edu |
| The University of Texas |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
411 | Austin, Texas | Public | utexas.edu |
| University of Miami (UM) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
409 | Coral Gables, Florida | Private | miami.edu |
| University of California (UCB) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
408 | Berkeley, California | Public | berkeley.edu |
| Mitchell Hamline School of Law |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
403 | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Private | mitchellhamline.edu |
| Brooklyn Law School (BLS) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
400 | Brooklyn, New York | Private | brooklaw.edu |
| Suffolk University |
Doctorate (Research)
Doctorate (Professional)
|
394 | Boston, Massachusetts | Private | suffolk.edu |
| American University (AU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
378 | Washington, District of Columbia | Private | american.edu |
| University of California (UCLA) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
372 | Los Angeles, California | Public | ucla.edu |
| University of California College of the Law (UC Law SF) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
369 | San Francisco, California | Public | uclawsf.edu |
| Loyola University Chicago (LUC) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
351 | Chicago, Illinois | Private | luc.edu |
| New York Law School (NYLS) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
345 | New York, New York | Private | nyls.edu |
| Boston College (BC) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
341 | Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | Private | bc.edu |
| Loyola Marymount University (LMU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
339 | Los Angeles, California | Private | lmu.edu |
| University of Michigan (U‑M) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
323 | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Public | umich.edu |
| Seton Hall University (SHU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
314 | South Orange, New Jersey | Private | shu.edu |
| Yeshiva University (YU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
311 | New York, New York | Private | yu.edu |
| New England Law |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
306 | Boston, Massachusetts | Private | nesl.edu |
| University of Pennsylvania (Penn) |
Doctorate (Research)
Doctorate (Professional)
|
305 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Private | upenn.edu |
| University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
301 | Chicago, Illinois | Public | uic.edu |
| University of Virginia (UVA) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
298 | Charlottesville, Virginia | Public | virginia.edu |
| Boston University (BU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
296 | Boston, Massachusetts | Private | bu.edu |
| Rutgers University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
296 | Newark, New Jersey | Public | newark.rutgers.edu |
| Northwestern University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
293 | Evanston, Illinois | Private | northwestern.edu |
| Stetson University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
291 | DeLand, Florida | Private | stetson.edu |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion (ASU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
290 | Tempe, Arizona | Public | asu.edu |
| Southwestern Law School |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
290 | Los Angeles, California | Private | swlaw.edu |
| Emory University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
290 | Atlanta, Georgia | Private | emory.edu |
| Widener University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
290 | Chester, Pennsylvania | Private | widener.edu |
| Washington University in St Louis (WashU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
285 | Saint Louis, Missouri | Private | wustl.edu |
| University of Houston (UH) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
280 | Houston, Texas | Public | uh.edu |
| Hofstra University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
278 | Hempstead, New York | Private | hofstra.edu |
| Duke University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
277 | Durham, North Carolina | Private | duke.edu |
| South Texas College of Law (STCL) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
276 | Houston, Texas | Private | stcl.edu |
| University of Florida (UF) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
265 | Gainesville, Florida | Public | ufl.edu |
| St. John's University (SJU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
265 | Queens, New York | Private | stjohns.edu |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
265 | Madison, Wisconsin | Public | wisc.edu |
| Pace University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
261 | New York, New York | Private | pace.edu |
| Michigan State University (MSU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
255 | East Lansing, Michigan | Public | msu.edu |
| University of San Diego (USD) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
250 | San Diego, California | Private | sandiego.edu |
| Southern University and A & M College (SUBR) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
247 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Public | subr.edu |
| University of Maryland (UMB) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
247 | Baltimore, Maryland | Public | umaryland.edu |
| Southern Methodist University (SMU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
246 | Dallas, Texas | Private | smu.edu |
| St. Thomas University (STU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
243 | Miami Gardens, Florida | Private | stu.edu |
| University of California (UCD) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
242 | Davis, California | Public | ucdavis.edu |
| St. Mary's University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
240 | San Antonio, Texas | Private | stmarytx.edu |
| Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech) |
Doctorate (Research)
Doctorate (Professional)
|
238 | Chicago, Illinois | Private | iit.edu |
| George Mason University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
237 | Fairfax, Virginia | Public | www2.gmu.edu |
| Barry University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
236 | Miami, Florida | Private | barry.edu |
| University of Denver (DU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
233 | Denver, Colorado | Private | du.edu |
| Indiana University (IU Indianapolis) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
232 | Indianapolis, Indiana | Public | indianapolis.iu.edu |
| University of Minnesota (UMN) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
231 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Public | twin-cities.umn.edu |
| Pennsylvania State University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
230 | University Park, Pennsylvania | Public | psu.edu |
| Charleston School of Law (CSOL) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
226 | Charleston, South Carolina | Private | charlestonlaw.edu |
| University of Southern California (USC) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
220 | Los Angeles, California | Private | usc.edu |
| Tulane University of Louisiana |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
219 | New Orleans, Louisiana | Private | tulane.edu |
| Georgia State University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
217 | Atlanta, Georgia | Public | gsu.edu |
| California Western School of Law (CWSL) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
216 | San Diego, California | Private | cwsl.edu |
| Yale University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
215 | New Haven, Connecticut | Private | yale.edu |
| CUNY School of Law (CUNY Law) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
214 | Long Island City, New York | Public | law.cuny.edu |
| Villanova University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
213 | Villanova, Pennsylvania | Private | villanova.edu |
| Temple University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
212 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Public | temple.edu |
| Albany Law School |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
208 | Albany, New York | Private | albanylaw.edu |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
208 | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Public | unc.edu |
| University of Baltimore (UBalt) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
207 | Baltimore, Maryland | Public | ubalt.edu |
| Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College (LSU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
206 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Public | lsu.edu |
| University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
206 | Detroit, Michigan | Private | udmercy.edu |
| Seattle University (Seattle U) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
205 | Seattle, Washington | Private | seattleu.edu |
| Santa Clara University (SCU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
203 | Santa Clara, California | Private | scu.edu |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
203 | Champaign, Illinois | Public | illinois.edu |
| University of South Carolina (USC) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
203 | Columbia, South Carolina | Public | sc.edu |
| Marquette University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
203 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Private | marquette.edu |
| Indiana University (IUB) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
200 | Bloomington, Indiana | Public | indiana.edu |
| Syracuse University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
200 | Syracuse, New York | Private | syracuse.edu |
| University of Chicago (UChicago) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
199 | Chicago, Illinois | Private | uchicago.edu |
| Stanford University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
199 | Stanford, California | Private | stanford.edu |
| Pepperdine University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
197 | Malibu, California | Private | pepperdine.edu |
| Cornell University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
195 | Ithaca, New York | Private | cornell.edu |
| Lewis & Clark College |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
195 | Portland, Oregon | Private | lclark.edu |
| University of Oklahoma (OU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
194 | Norman, Oklahoma | Public | ou.edu |
| Nova Southeastern University (NSU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
193 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Private | nova.edu |
| Baylor University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
192 | Waco, Texas | Private | baylor.edu |
| Florida State University (FSU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
191 | Tallahassee, Florida | Public | fsu.edu |
| University of Georgia (UGA) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
189 | Athens, Georgia | Public | uga.edu |
| University of New Hampshire |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
188 | Concord, New Hampshire | Public | law.unh.edu |
| University of Notre Dame (ND) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
187 | Notre Dame, Indiana | Private | nd.edu |
| Saint Louis University (SLU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
186 | Saint Louis, Missouri | Private | slu.edu |
| Rutgers University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
185 | Camden, New Jersey | Public | camden.rutgers.edu |
| Texas Southern University (TSU) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
185 | Houston, Texas | Public | tsu.edu |
| Loyola University New Orleans (LOYNO) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
179 | New Orleans, Louisiana | Private | loyno.edu |
| Ohio State University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
179 | Columbus, Ohio | Public | osu.edu |
| Texas A & M University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
178 | College Station, Texas | Public | tamu.edu |
| University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
176 | University, Mississippi | Public | olemiss.edu |
| University of Nevada (UNLV) |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
176 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Public | unlv.edu |
| DePaul University |
Doctorate (Professional)
|
174 | Chicago, Illinois | Private | depaul.edu |
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most common questions about Law programs
How much can I earn with a Law degree?
Salaries for Law graduates vary by role and location. Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates earn a median of $156,210 annually, while Lawyers earn around $151,160. Geographic location significantly impacts earnings—professionals in Massachusetts average $172,338 compared to $65,522 in Mississippi. Approximately 833,440 professionals work in related occupations nationwide.
Salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS program, May 2024. Earnings vary by experience, employer, and market conditions.
Which universities have the largest Law programs?
Currently 210 accredited institutions offer Law degrees across the U.S. Programs with the highest enrollment include Georgetown University (GU) (672 graduates), Harvard University (622 graduates), and George Washington University (GW) (551 graduates).
Program size doesn't necessarily indicate quality—consider factors like faculty expertise, production opportunities, location, and available degree levels when choosing a school.
Data based on IPEDS program completions for 2023-2024 academic year. Numbers reflect programs where students graduated.
Is enrollment in Law growing or declining?
Graduate numbers have decreased over the past decade, rising from 45,107 in 2010 to 39,447 in 2023-24. This represents a 13% decrease overall from 2010.
The field remains specialized with consistent demand, though opportunities are most concentrated in major metropolitan areas with active arts scenes like New York, California, and Illinois.
Graduate enrollment data from IPEDS, 2010-2024 academic years. Trends reflect reported completions at participating institutions.
What career paths are available with a Law degree?
This degree prepares you for roles such as Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates, Lawyers, and Law Teachers, Postsecondary. Related occupations employ approximately 833,440 professionals nationwide.
Skills in project management, creative leadership, and collaboration also transfer to event planning, arts administration, marketing, and corporate training roles. Many professionals work freelance or on a project basis across theatre, film, and live events.
Career pathways mapped using CIP-SOC crosswalk from the National Center for Education Statistics. Employment data from BLS OEWS May 2024.
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